Author: chicagoinquirer

by Mathew Lee and Farnoush Amiri WASHINGTON  — The Trump administration will withdraw from dozens of international organizations, including the U.N.’s population agency and the U.N. treaty that establishes international climate negotiations, as the U.S. further retreats from global cooperation. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending U.S. support for 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions, following his administration’s review of participation in and funding for all international organizations, including those affiliated with the United Nations, according to a White House release. Many of the targets are U.N.-related agencies, commissions and advisory panels that focus on climate, labor,…

by Agency Reports DETROIT (AP) — Isaiah Stewart scored a career-high 31 points to help the short-handed Detroit Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls 108-93 on Wednesday night. Detroit won for the fourth time in five games despite playing without All-Star Cade Cunningham (wrist) and fellow starters Tobias Harris (hip) and Jalen Duren (ankle). Stewart, who had his previous best of 26 points against Memphis on Nov. 3, scored 11 points in the first quarter. Two-way player Daniss Jenkins added six rebounds and a career-high 15 assists. Ayo Dosunmu had 24 points for Chicago, which has lost three straight. Nikola Vucevic…

by Janie McCauley SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Steve Kerr upset his mother. Ann Kerr was mortified by the behavior of her 60-year-old coaching son, for the first time in quite a while. She didn’t approve of Kerr’s ejection in the fourth quarter of a one-point loss to the Clippers on Monday night, when the Warriors coach was held back from the officials by Gary Payton II, Gui Santos and assistant Terry Stotts. “All good other than my mom being terribly disappointed in me,” Kerr said of his 91-year-old mom before Golden State’s home game Wednesday against Milwaukee. “She was at…

by Jan Cohen LAKE FOREST, Ill.  — The Chicago Bears trailed at halftime in four of their last five regular-season games. They haven’t scored on their first offensive drive since Week 9 at Cincinnati. That’s a big concern for the NFC North champions going into the franchise’s first playoff appearance since the 2020 season. “There’s a process I believe in in terms of how we prepare these guys,” Chicago coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday. “I think we’ve got a lot of great professionals, and I think any time that you bring attention to something, that they look to fix it.…

by Kevin Freking WASHINGTON — Republicans will consider a rare rebuke of President Donald Trump with House votes Thursday to override his vetoes of two low-profile bills that were considered noncontroversial when they passed Congress. One bill was designed to help local communities finance the construction of a pipeline to provide water to tens of thousands in Colorado. The other designated a site in Everglades National Park as a part of the Miccosukee Indian Reservation. The White House did not issue any veto threats prior to passage of the bills, so Trump’s scathing comments in his veto message came as…

by Seung Min Kim WASHINGTON  — President Donald Trump will gather with House Republicans on Tuesday to ensure they’re aligned on their agenda at the start of a critical midterm election year that could alter the course of Trump’s final two years in office. GOP lawmakers are hosting a daylong policy forum at the Kennedy Center, the performing arts venue on the other side of Washington from the Capitol. Its board, which is stacked with Trump loyalists, recently voted to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center, though that move is being challenged in court. The House GOP is convening as they…

by Michael R. Sisak, Larry Nuemeister and Erick Tucker NEW YORK  — A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself “the president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power in Venezuela. “I was captured,” Maduro said in Spanish as translated by a courtroom interpreter before being cut off by the judge. Asked later for his plea to the charges, he stated: “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country.” Maduro’s…

by Mathew Lee WASHINGTON  — The Trump administration has added seven countries, including five in Africa, to the list of nations whose passport holders are required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States. Thirteen countries, all but two of them in Africa, are now on the list, which makes the process of obtaining a U.S. visa unaffordable for many. The State Department last week quietly added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia and Turkmenistan to the list. Those designations took effect on Jan. 1, according to a notice posted on…

by Jay Cohen CHICAGO (AP) — Miles Bridges had 26 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 112-99 on Saturday night. Brandon Miller scored 22 points for Charlotte, and Kon Knueppel finished with 18. LaMelo Ball added 17 points and seven assists. The Hornets had lost three straight and five of seven. They improved to 5-2 on the second day of back-to-back games. Nikola Vucevic had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Chicago, which had won two in a row and seven of nine overall. Matas Buzelis scored 17 points. The Bulls closed…

by Rob Maaddi The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Seattle. The NFC South champion will be decided by the two teams that aren’t in the race for the division title. The Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed and won the NFC West with a 13-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night in a showdown that had major ramifications. The 49ers could have won the division but instead will be the NFC’s No. 5 or 6 seed. Earlier Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 16-14 to stay alive in the…